CULLMAN - Premier Bank of the South celebrated its 30th anniversary Tuesday morning with a ribbon-cutting event, and the building at 101 First Ave. NW was full of people there to join in. President and Chief Executive Officer Jay Mullins, a founding member of the bank in 1987, has been a big part of the business ever since. He gave credit for the bank’s success to both the employees and the people they serve.

“The great people that we have working here is one of the big reasons for our success, along with our distinguished and loyal customers,” Mullins said. “We thank each and every one of them for bringing us along, and my personal hope is that they can help us be successful for another 30 years.”

The Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce was on hand as well, and President and CEO Leah Bolin presented a certificate to Mullins in honor of the bank’s 30 years.

“We just want to give a big congratulation to everyone here; you’ve been doing it a long time, and 30 years in business is a big milestone,” said Bolin. “It has been recognized statewide that your employees love to work here and that says a lot about your bank and what you stand for. We appreciate what you do for the community and what the next generation will continue to do, so in 30 years let’s do this again.”

Bolin said she always enjoys these types of events and is happy that the Chamber can celebrate success with local businesses.

“These are fun events; this is one of my favorite parts of my job because with a ribbon-cutting event you’re either celebrating the opening of a business or the success of a business,” she smiled. “Both of those are great celebrations and it’s fun to do things like this because 30 years ago they started this business and have been a part of the community and this is a great milestone.”

Mullins said he owes a lot of the bank’s success to the philosophy the founders began with in 1987, saying it has carried the bank to where it is today.

“When we first started we really felt like we could be successful because what we wanted our culture to be was taking care of your customer,” Mullins shared. “That’s what has made us successful. It’s not only our loyal customers, but truly our competent, friendly staff that gives you personal treatment.”

He continued, “When you walk in the door someone looks you in the eye and says hello. If you’re a customer they’re going to quickly learn your name and when you walk in the door they’ll know you and smile at you. That’s the culture that we started with and we want to continue it, and no matter how big we get I hope we always have that culture in place. We want you to be treated the way you expect to be treated. It’s simple but it has served us well for the last 30 years and hopefully for the next 30.”